


Dangerous in Red

by soulioli



Series: Shuann Week 2019! [8]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: (?), AU, Clubbing, Day 5 - Late Night, F/M, Mild Smut, Nightlife, ShuAnn Week 2019, ShuAnn Week 2k19, i don't think it counts as smut because like...metaphors you know?), i tried to build sexual tension between the two of them and honestly idk if it worked, idk man it's wack, no powers au, post breakup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-10 23:07:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19518478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulioli/pseuds/soulioli
Summary: Akira's just trying to have a little fun and get away from his friends. This dangerous blonde and her red lipstick sure provide an exit....and a little more.





	Dangerous in Red

If there was one thing that Ann had needed today, it was a nap. She lay on her couch, having dropped her shopping bags from earlier to the living room floor and fallen onto the soft piece of furniture the second she got home. The reason for this wasn’t that she hadn’t slept well - in fact, she had - but it was what she’d decided would remedy her situation. And, after an afternoon of crying in bathrooms and retail therapy by herself, she’d decided that a nap would fit in the day’s agenda. 

Most likely, it would turn into ice cream and some soup at midnight as it always did when she was heartbroken. But hey, a nap was a nap, right? 

Sleep came easy, and she welcomed the darkness that seemed to hug her. Just when she had relaxed and finally entered a somewhat deep sleep, a sharp series of knocks jolted her back awake. She groaned quietly to herself. Couldn’t whoever it was just give her a little sleep? 

Maybe, if she let them knock, they’d go away. Maybe. 

A small shred of guilt rose up within her at the thought. No, that would be rude. As much as she wanted to do it, she’d feel bad for making someone think she was asleep. The blonde let another sigh escape her. 

_ Fine, conscious. You win...for now.  _

The blonde woman sat up, before finally getting to her feet. The traces of sleep and a potential nap were quickly wiped from her person, shaping her instead into a person that had just gotten home. She glanced through the peephole, which only showed a group of girls in the hall that she recognized as her modelling friends. 

_ Fuck. _ She really didn’t want to deal with them right now. Not after a breakup. 

_ So help me god, if this is another gossip session, I’m going to slam my head against the wall.  _

Even still, Ann put on a smile and opened the door for them. The group perked up as they saw her, and she belatedly noticed that there were a couple of the nicer and less gossip-y girls. She didn’t have much time to process this, however, because they were already walking inside her apartment. 

Had it been anyone else, she’d have been surprised, but Ann was good friends with the girls in the bunch, and the more outgoing ones had already forced themselves in first, which didn’t exactly leave anyone else any room to stop. The blonde sighed good-naturedly. Okay, this hadn’t been something she was exactly expecting (rather, the girls she was expecting), but it was still a good group. 

The door swung shut, and she pressed her back to it and looked to the girls in her front room. There were about 9, which wasn’t all that surprising. All of them were, well, gorgeous, to put it mildly. This was the room of people that made her question her own looks and personality the most, but now was not the time to ponder her inferiority. 

Ann cleared her throat and rose her voice to speak over them. “Uh, guys? Why are you here?” 

The conversation paused as they turned to look at her, but no one spoke for a minute. Finally, the ringleader, a girl named Aimi, smiled at her and explained. “Well, we heard about your...y’know. Breakup. And we thought we could come over and take you out to get your mind off of it.” 

Now that she mentioned it, they were all dressed for a night out. Short dresses, perfect makeup and hair…...she felt as if Aphrodite had multiplied around her and was taunting her. But the goddess had a kind heart, at least, and she felt a little ashamed that she’d thought they were just here for a gossip session. Of course they’d know about the breakup...everyone did. 

Even still, she wasn’t sure if she was up to going out. “I...I don’t know. That’s really sweet of you guys, but….I don’t know if I could…” 

Aimi waved her concern away, black curls bouncing. “Sure you can. What better way to get over a breakup then to show him what he’s missing?” 

Something about the statement ignited a fire within Ann. If a kitten had been kneading at her stomach to get her to fight back, it now grew into a panther, filling her with fire. 

Was she positive? Absolutely not. But there was nothing wrong with going out to dance a little bit. And she could take something to protect herself should she need it…. so this should be fine. 

It wasn’t as if it had been a day or two either, it had been two weeks of lonely nights and ice cream and wearing that fake smile of hers until he’d finally broken the news to everyone. 

The other girls watched her, hopeful expressions on their faces. They seemed to scream to her that they wanted to help, and if this was one of the only ways they knew to help, it wouldn’t be polite. Maybe she should just forget about it for now…. forget about  _ him _ . 

“Alright, you guys win. Dress me up.” She declared. A cheer erupted, and then it was time to go. 

Ann just let herself be subjected to their whims. 

* * *

Akira Kurusu was not the type of person to go to nightclubs. Well…. he was, but not with friends. Not socially. He usually just went out to have a good time, flirt a little…. nothing serious. The man knew he was good looking, and he definitely knew he was charming. But now that he drove a car full of guys that were going to the hottest nightclub in town, he wasn’t entirely sure that going was a good idea. It wasn’t as if they were bad guys, it was just that it would be a chaotic night. 

Chaotic nights with these guys meant that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy himself, but that was fine. 

He just hoped that he’d actually be able to go off on his own for 5 seconds tonight. 

* * *

The line to get in was crowded, but Ann didn’t mind as much. It gave her time to survey the crowd and talk to her friends who she hadn’t seen in a while. Currently, she was listening to the latest tale about a mutual friend. 

“So  _ then _ , right, I get a text saying….” 

The girl continued to go on about some story that Ann honestly didn’t care about, but listened to out of courtesy. She felt a little bad for not having an interest in this particular story, but it wasn’t as if she could help it. It just…. didn’t catch her attention. 

However, she did have to give the girls points for style, though. Her friends certainly new how to look and make others look hot, for lack of a better term. Ann, herself, was dressed in a short cocktail dress. The red was the dress’s main attraction, but it was lined and mingled with black, making it appear darker and more alluring. It defined her curves and shape in such a way that it seemed to enhance them, and the fishnet stockings and heels made her look dangerous. When they left her hair down and gave her red lipstick, well… .Ann was  _ deadly. _

She continued to smile and nod along, listening to the story at hand as she pondered appearances. 

“Wait, shut up for a sec!” 

Ann raised an eyebrow at the girl who’d butted into the conversation. She was usually quiet, but when she wanted to point something out, she was quick on the draw. The group gathered around. 

“Look, see that car full of guys pulling up? Aren’t some of them kind of cute?” 

A car was pulling into the parking lot, though how she’d spotted it Ann had no idea. She looked closer at it and rose an eyebrow. Maybe 6 or 7 people were in that car (which was certainly too many), all of whom were guys. They all looked like your typical confident jock type except for one. The driver. 

He had frizzy hair, but had on a pair of black colored pants and a black shirt, as if he were ready to join with the darkness. And his eyes were a startling shade of grey, and seemed to exude charm. Ann blinked.

Huh. Maybe she’d have a little more fun tonight than she’d thought she would. 

* * *

Akira paused as he moved to turn the car off. Did he really want to do this? Did he want to take these fools inside only to be pulled off every ten seconds? 

Not particularly, but he’d gotten this far. And, like it or not, they’d been good friends to him for a while. 

Well, that’s how he rationalized it, anyway. 

He took the keys from the car and tossed them to the ringleader of the entire night, who rose an eyebrow. “I thought you were driving us home. You planning to get into trouble tonight?” 

Akira shrugged, body posture lax. “Maybe.” 

It was a half-lie, at best - he wasn’t planning to get into anything tonight, and if he were telling the truth, he would probably slip away from them given the first opportunity. Nothing was stopping him from just walking home and leaving them. Either way, he had to keep up for now. They slid out and began to walk, pace a quick stride that he was too paranoid not to keep up with. They laughed along themselves as they continued to walk. For his part, Akira stayed silent and looked at the line as they approached. 

Most were in pairs of two or three, wearing short clothing and possessing few defining features. Maybe they had a unique hair color, or maybe they had a unique body shape. Whichever the case, it was standard. 

The large group of girls in the middle, however, was not. All of them seemed to glow, but in their midst stood a beacon. She was blonde and had blue eyes, but they weren’t the main attraction. Instead, it was her confidence and the fact that she was wearing a short dress, but a dress that wasn’t too short. Combined with fishnet stockings and a pair of heels and that red lipstick of hers, she was a knockout. But she was also with friends. 

“Hey, Akira, you listening?” 

“Hmm?” 

“I got us access to the VIP floor, man! You should be excited!” 

He plastered on a smirk quickly to avoid the teasing. “Hmm, yeah, I guess I can be excited about that. How’d you pull it off?” 

His friend went on in detail, probably about some girl he’d dated and used…..which wasn’t something Akira cared to listen to, to say the least.

Still, something about that girl in line was sticking with him. He knew he wasn’t going to  _ stop _ forgetting about her any time soon.

Now it was just a matter of figuring out  _ why. _

* * *

Getting inside was a long wait for Ann and her friends, but proved to be worth it, ten times over. The building was large, and she assumed it could have been a gathering place for formals and galas in the past, but it wasn’t now. 

Everything inside was sleek and modern, from the glowing stools at the bar to the tables in the back, to the DJ’s booth, who was playing incredibly loud music. Most of the room had been left open for dancers to do as they pleased on the dance floor. The boundaries of the space glowed softly, which, Ann thought, was a nice touch. Enough to see your feet, but not enough to illuminate everything completely. 

The ceilings were high, however, and a second floor balcony wrapped around the perimeter of the room. That, she suspected, was most likely the VIP section. Why it was styled this way, she had no clue, but thick curtains hung around the balcony, which would restrict what people could see if they so choose. 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a nightclub like this one!” She said to the girl next to her. 

The girl nodded. “Yeah! That’s why it’s my favorite! It’s soooo unique! Hey, change of topic, but, like, wanna dance?” 

Ann grinned. “Duh! That’s what I’m here for! Let’s get everyone in!” 

The girl beside her giggled, and suddenly she was in the middle of her friends and laughing, having a good night. 

Things could only go up from here, right?

* * *

Once they were inside, it was a bit of a fight to get away from his friends, but he did it anyway, slipping away from them in the VIP section of the club. Akira leaned against the balcony, drink in his hand as his eyes began their sweep over the crowd. 

On any other night, he would be perfectly content to sweep the crowd and just have a drink, but tonight, he was sweeping the crowd for the girl he’d seen outside, interested to see even more of her than he had previously. 

Among every other girl, she was a bit of a tough one to spot, but once he’d found her, he was sure he couldn’t have mistook another girl for her. 

Her hair seemed to shine under the lights of the club, in the middle of a group of girls. He didn’t know her, but she was laughing, and she looked so free and confident and  _ stunning _ in that moment that he wanted to. Desperately. 

As if she sensed that he was thinking about her, she looked up at the observation level above and caught his eye. Time paused, and so did he, lips parting to exhale. She wasn’t perfect by any means - if someone was looking hard enough they could notice imperfections. But she was filled with something like fire, something so warm and radiant that seemed to spread. 

He wanted more. 

All too soon, she was looking away from him and laughing at something someone said, too many girls’ eyes were turned towards him as a result, too many whispers were passed back and forth. 

But then she scanned the balconies above the dancefloor, and when she found his eyes again, her red lips split into an all-knowing grin and she winked at him. His world was slowly stopping, but something about that wink commanded that he come forth. 

He thought it couldn’t get any better, but then he smirked in her direction and she countered it with another dazzling smile and a high flush on her cheeks, and suddenly Akira’s drink was in his friend’s hand and he was descending the stairs as his friends called after him. 

“Woah, hey, where you going!?” 

“Got a hot date, Akira?” 

“Aw, c’mon guys, he probably just saw some hot chick to go after.” 

On some level, he knew that the third person that had called after him was right, on any other night this would have been just some “hot chick,” in a sense. If it were anyone but her, that statement would held up. 

But this girl…. this woman, rather, wasn’t a “hot chick,” she was more. So much more. He couldn’t even begin to describe her aloud, even though he’d been monologuing about her beauty for a solid 15 minutes now. The words wouldn’t leave him. It was as if she was a secret that was too good to expose. 

Evidently she’d wiggled out of the hold of the dancefloor, because now she was standing at the end of the staircase, where they’d been roped off and where a bouncer stood. At least the VIP access his friend had was useful. One hand contained a handbag, while the other was fanning herself off. She noticed him out of the corner of her eye, and gave a lazy, almost seductive smile as she said: “It’s hot in here.” 

The statement was nothing obvious, nothing too salacious, just simple. Friendly. 

“It is, but you think you’d get used to it after a couple months of coming here.” Akira responded simply, hands in his pockets and posture slouched just so. 

She turned toward him then and looked him over, though he was unsure if the action were more analytical or amused. “You don’t seem like the type of guy to be at a club like this. Frizzy hair, contacts, a lone wolf.” 

Akira smirked, leaning toward her, all confidence and charm. “If I’m not the type of guy to be at a club like this, then you certainly aren’t the type of girl to be at a club like this, Ms. Red Lipstick.” 

She gazed up into his eyes with something like a challenge, and there was more of that fire. Leaning towards her had suddenly become a bad idea, because now all he could smell was the mature and thick scent of her perfume and the hint of an alcohol that would have been too strong in large amounts. 

The effect was dizzying, and he almost missed her next statement. Almost. 

“Ann.” 

“Hm?” Somewhere, Akira had stopped following her and he now questioned her, staring at those lips of hers that were almost  _ too _ red. 

“Ann. My name’s Ann. Not ‘Ms. Red Lipstick.’” She clarified, watching him still. 

“Ann, huh? Name’s Akira.” The reveal of his name was something low and quiet, a purr at the back of his throat that almost  _ always _ worked. 

The effect was not what he’d anticipated. Though their eyes met for a couple seconds, it didn’t result in a kiss. Instead she tore her eyes away from his own and gave him that coy little smile of hers, batting her eyelashes in a way that made his pulse jump like it hadn’t before. “Well, do you want to dance with me, Akira?”

Something in him lurched, screaming yes,  _ yes _ , he’d have followed her to hell and back just to dance with her, but he didn’t show any of it. Instead he only flung a lazy smirk in her direction. “After you.” 

The blonde only laughed and grabbed his hand, dragging him to the dance floor. 

And suddenly they were too close, and he could hear her singing some pop song that had come on, but it didn’t matter because it was  _ her _ and Akira was sure she had the voice of an angel - 

He needed to breathe. The raven-haired male took in as much air as he could, a relatively quiet action and motion which still did not go unnoticed by the model. She looked up to him, concern shining brighter than the lights above them. “This okay?” 

_ No _ , he wanted to shout,  _ No, this isn’t okay because you’re too damn good to meet like this and you’re making me feel more than I should.  _ Instead, he kept that smirk on his face and pulled her in closer, somehow. “This is perfect.” 

She beamed up at him again and stayed close this time as she continued her dance, so free and beautiful that he felt like dropping to his knees at the sight. And Akira Kurusu was on his knees for no one. 

They danced like that for a while, too close not to touch once or twice. For a while, it was a simple rhythm and a chance to admire her, until she was grabbing him by the hand and it wasn’t anymore. 

They walked until they had reached the bar and she’d ordered a drink - if she’d paid for it or put it on a friend’s tab, Akira certainly hadn’t noticed. Ann winked at the bartender and then paused to look around. Then, as if she’d found what they were looking for, the two into a dark corner, perfect for privacy and a drink. 

“So,” she started, watching the people on the dancefloor. “Talk to me.” 

Akira found his eyebrows knitting together. Just as he thought he’d figured her out...this happened. “Talk to you…? What about?” 

She shrugged, leaning against the wall. “Anything. Like your favorite food. Why you’re here. What you want to do.” 

“Why don’t you start?” 

“Hmm…” She thought about it, taking a sip of her drink once more. “Alright, how’s this? I like crepes. A lot.” 

He eyed her quite obviously. Something that fattening with a body like that? How in the hell…? “Crepes, huh?” 

The blonde glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, then rolled them, a small, coy smile playing at her lips. “What can I say? They’re bad for me but I go to the gym a lot.” 

They lapsed into silence for a moment. The scent of alcohol and sweat and things his mind was too fuzzy to name were around them, moving and so colorful. The romantic in him suddenly wished they’d met over coffee - maybe even for them to have met in high school. Just not like this. But he didn’t have time to think about that. He needed to respond to her - tell her something about himself in return. 

“Curry.” It was blurted, quickly, something so unlike him that he was sure he was morphing into someone entirely new. 

“Hm?” 

“I happen to be a fan of curry.” He was regaining his sense of self and his debonair charm. Easy answers did the trick. 

She rose an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? I had you pegged as more of an instant ramen type of guy.” 

“The alcohol must be influencing your perception of reality, then.” Akira teased, gaining an eye roll from the blonde. 

“Oh, please, I haven’t had more than a couple sips. This is the most I’ve had since getting here, and even this is nothing.” 

He rose an eyebrow. “You’re no lightweight, huh?” 

She eyed her grey-eyed companion for a minute, and then smirked. “You could say that. Are  _ you _ a lightweight? I bet you’re here a lot, huh?” 

Akira paused. Well, wasn’t this a landmine? On one hand, he didn’t want to say he was here a lot and have her think that he was creepy or a manwhore (even though the latter title  _ technically _ probably applied), but on the other….she’d seen him in the VIP section. He knew his way around the place. He couldn’t very well lie to her….

...Well, he could, but he didn’t  _ want _ to. And if he played his cards right...he could make a move. His face morphed into a smirk once more. 

“If I ever need to have a good time, yeah. Which isn’t all the time. But that could change.” 

It was vague enough and implied more than enough information. She tore her eyes from the dance floor and glued them to Akira instead, eyes dancing with something he couldn’t place, but wanted to get more familiar with. 

“Oh, really? How?” 

Well, it was now or never, wasn’t it? He turned his eyes toward the dance floor. “I doubt I’d need to come here for a good time if I had a good time just a call away.” 

“A booty call?” She asked as she set her drink down. A bit of disappointment mingled with the other emotions in her tone, making his heart clench just a little. He shook his head. 

“If I was that kind of guy, I’d have stopped coming after my first visit.” 

She rose an eyebrow, closer to him now. “So, a date, then?” 

“Maybe.” His tone was coy, maybe overly so.

Ann was up close now, brushing up against his shoulder, voice almost a whisper in comparison to the music in the club. “Would a kiss work for now?” 

“Perhaps.” 

“Well, then what are you waiting for?” Ann asked, too close to him now. Akira could smell her perfume and the slight hint of liquor on her breath, combined with what he was sure was her shampoo….it was overwhelming. 

Yet, he paused. This was different, new, even. Out of every girl he’d talked to, no one had ever told him to initiate anything. They’d done it themselves, or waited until Akira had made the move, but never told him. 

It had always been hook, line, and sinker, but with her, he was dancing around with the fishing pole. 

Time stopped. Her breaths came out hot and brushed against his neck, and god, if she hadn’t said anything he’d have lost it right there, because she just  _ had  _ to know what she was doing to him. 

It was on that idea that he acted, pressing her between himself and the wall and capturing her lips with his own. She responded immediately, as if she’d been waiting for this just as much as he had. 

Her fingers twisted in his hair - the hair she’d teased him over - and her nails scratched at his scalp, which was something he hadn’t been expecting, but wasn’t complaining about. The kiss was something destructive, something that seemed to build and combust - pull and push all at once. 

Ann’s lips were soft and fell into a sloppy rhythm with his own, her hands tugging him as close as he could get to her. He was pressed flush against her, and every part of them seemed to connect, as if they were two pieces of a puzzle made by their creator to fit together. But it wasn’t enough. Both of them wanted more -  _ needed  _ more. His hands were at her hips, but if she noticed she definitely didn’t mind, melting into him with her eyes shut. 

The moment was too short and yet seemed to last as she broke away for air, panting. “You know, you’re pretty good at that.” 

“So I’ve heard.” He replied, unable to keep his lips from roaming. Kisses were planted on her cheeks and across her jawline, a map to a treasure that he couldn’t reach. Not yet.

Her pulse skipped briefly. “Wait, wait. Not here. My place is two - two blocks away.” 

“My, is the lady asking me to come home with her?” He teased, lips tracing the words on her skin. She laughed at the feeling. 

“Don’t - Don’t play games. Come  _ on. _ ” 

If he’d had any doubts that she knew what she’d been doing all night, they were gone. She knew, and she’d gotten him  _ good. _

She led him out and to her apartment, which was on the top floor of some building he was sure he’d never step foot in if not for her. It had been difficult to contain themselves before, but once the door was shut, the lights didn’t even need to come on. 

Once again, she was pressed between him and the wall - well, it was a  _ door _ now, but who cared? - and his lips were back on hers. Sparks flew, landing in the apartment around them. It was cool inside, and he was sure it was nicely furnished, but right now everything was too hot and they were too  _ close _ for anything else to matter. 

Lips traveled from mouth to neck, from neck down even further to leave it’s proof of life on areas that had previously gone unseen. Hands roamed too far, and not far enough. This was how they began their waltz towards the bedroom - towards the finale they assured the other that they both wanted between breathless speech and low laughter. 

It was something clumsy, and rough, but they made it to the finish line, with kisses and bites and scratches and their words. The two worked off of each other, coming closer and closer until they’d melted into one and nothing mattered but that moment in time. 

The symphony built and built and continued to build until their piece had ended and the night took over the both of them at last, intertwined together and blissfully satisfied. 

* * *

Ann, by this point in her life, decided that the sun hated her. 

She rolled over in her bed, mentally grumbling to herself. Couldn’t a girl get a couple hours of good sleep? All she’d wanted was a comfy nap after last night and -

_ Last night. _

Ann sat up abruptly, noting with a little disappointment that her bed was empty. Could she have just dreamed it? 

She observed her room. Well, okay. Her clothes were strewn about the room, and somehow, her handbag had gotten home with her. That was good, at least. 

The model was almost sure she’d dreamed it until she looked down.  _ Okay… _ she thought,  _ ….maybe it was real.  _

It was then that she looked back up, noting something on her nightstand that hadn’t been there before. 

It was a slip of paper written in a handwriting she hadn’t seen before. Her heart sped up as she glanced over it. 

_ Coffee?  _

_ xxx-xxx-xxxx _

_ \- Akira _

Despite it all, she grinned. 

Maybe she’d take him up on that offer.

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm back! I know I didn't get around to posting Beach the other day and I'm really sad about it, but unfortunately I've got more bad news.  
> Like a stupid dumb, I didn't get all of my prompts finished ahead of time. Now, that wouldn't have been a problem, if my personal life hadn't decided to jump off of a cliff and do several back flips. So I'm barely going to find the time to post this and get one out per day, unless a miracle occurs. I'm deeply sorry!  
> I do hope you guys enjoyed this, though! I wanted to do an urban/nightlife setting and play around to test the boundaries of my writing just a bit, because I usually don't get into more heated stuff like this.  
> Thank you for reading! Anything you can do to show support (reviews, comments, kudos, etc.) help a lot and help me know that I'm doing this whole writing thing right! I'll see you guys later!


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